[Sidenote: [The ferthe prose.]]
[Sidenote: _B._ I cannot deny my sudden and early prosperity.]
++ÞAnne seide I þus. O norice of alle uertues þou
seist ful soþe. ¶ Ne I may nat forsake þe ryȝt[e] 1008
swifte cours of my p{ro}speritee. þat is to seine. þat
p{ro}speritee ne be comen to me wondir swiftly {and}
soone. but þis is a þing þat gretly smertiþ me whan it
remembreþ me.
[Sidenote: It is the remembrance of former happiness that adds
most to man’s infelicity.]
¶ For in alle aduersitees of fortune þe 1012
most vnsely kynde of contrariouse fortune is to han
ben weleful.
[Sidenote: _P._ Recollect that you have yet much affluence.]
¶ But þat þou q{uo}d she abaist þus þe
to{ur}ment of þi fals[e] opiniou{n} þat maist þou not ryȝtfully
blamen ne aretten to þinges. as who seiþ for þou [[pg 40]]
hast ȝitte many habundaunces of þinges. ¶ _Textus._ 1017
For al be it so þat þe ydel name of auenterouse welefulnesse
moeueþ þe now. it is leueful þat þou rekene
w{i}t{h} me of how many[e] þinges þou hast ȝit plentee. 1020
[Sidenote: What you esteemed most precious in your happy days, you
still retain, and ought therefore not to complain.]
¶ And þerfore yif þat þilke þing þat þou haddest for
most p{re}cious in alle þi rycchesse of fortune be kept
to þe by þe grace of god vnwemmed {and} vndefouled.
Mayst þou þa{n} pleyne ryȝtfully vpon þe myschief of fortune. 1024
syn þou hast ȝit þi best[e] þinges. ¶ Certys ȝit
lyueþ in goode poynt þilke p{re}cious hono{ur} of mankynde.
[Sidenote: Symmachus, dear to you as life, is safe and in health.]
¶ Symacus þi wyues fadir whiche þat is a
man maked al of sapience {and} of vertue. þe whiche 1028
man þou woldest b[i]en redely wiþ þe pris of þin owen
lijf. he byweyleþ þe wronges þat men don to þee. {and}
not for hym self. for he liueþ in sykernesse of any
sentence put aȝeins him.
[Sidenote: Your wife Rusticiana is also alive, and bewails her
separation from you.]
¶ And ȝit lyueþ þi wif þat 1032
is attempre of witte {and} passyng oþer women in clennes
of chastitee. and for I wol closen shortly her bountes
she is lyke to hir fadir. I telle þe welle þat she lyueþ
looþ of hir life. {and} kepiþ to þee oonly hir goost. {and} 1036
is al maat {and} ouer-comen by wepyng {and} sorwe for
desire of þe ¶ In þe whiche þing only I mot graunten
þat þi welefulnesse is amenused.
[Sidenote: Why need I mention your two sons, in whom so much of
the wit and spirit of their sire and grandsire doth shine?]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 11.]]
¶ What shal I seyn
eke of þi two sones conseillours of whiche as of children 1040
of hir age þer shineþ *þe lyknesse of þe witte of
hir fadir {and} of hir eldefadir.
[Sidenote: And since it is the chief care of man to preserve life;
you are still most happy in the possession of blessings which all
men value more than life.]
and siþen þe souereyn
cure of alle mortel folke is to sauen hir owe{n} lyues.
[Linenotes:
1008 _soþe_--soth
_Ne I may_--Ne I ne may
1009 _seine_--seyn
1011 _a_--omitted
_gretly_--gretely
1012 _aduersitees_--adu{er}syte
1013 _most_--mooste
1014 _abaist_--abyest
1015 _tourment_--tormentȝ
_fals[e]_--false
1016 _seiþ_--MS. seiþe, C. seyh
1017 _ȝitte_--yit
1019 _leueful_--leefful
1020 _many[e] þinges_--manye grete thinges
1022 _alle_--al
1023 _þe by_--the yit by
1024 _myschief_--meschef
1025 _best[e]_--beste
1026 _lyueþ_--leueth
_goode_--good
1027 _whiche_--which
1028 _al_--alle
_of_ (2)--omitted
1029 _b[i]en_--byen
_owen_--owne
1030 _byweyleþ_--bewayleth
_don_--MS. done, C. don
1031 _liueþ_--leueth
1033 _witte_--wyt
_women_--wymmen
1034 _shortly_--shortely
1035 _lyke_--lik
_welle_--wel
1036 _hir life_--this lyf
1037 _maat_--maad
1038 _whiche_--weche
1039 _amenused_--amenyssed
_seyn_--(MS. seyne) seyn
1041 _lyknesse_--lykenesse
_witte_--wyt
1042 {and} (1)--or
_eldefadir_--eldyr fadyr
_siþen_--syn
1043 _folke_--folk]
[Headnote:
THE CONDITION OF HUMAN BLISS.]
¶ O how weleful art þou þouȝ þou knowe þi goodes. 1044
¶ But ȝitte ben þer þinges dwelly{n}g to þe wardes þat no [[pg 41]]
man douteþ þat þei ne ben more derworþe to þe þen
þine owen lijf.
[Sidenote: Dry up thy tears, thou hast still present comfort and
hope of future felicity.]
¶ And forþi drie þi teres for ȝitte nys
nat eueriche fortune al hateful to þe warde. ne ou{er} 1048
greet tempest haþ nat ȝit fallen vpon þe. whan þat þin
ancres cliue fast[e] þat neiþer wole suffre þe comfort of þis
tyme p{re}sent. ne þe hope of tyme comynge to passen
ne to falle{n}.
[Sidenote: _B._ I hope these will never fail me.]
¶ And I p{re}ie q{uod} I þat fast[e] mot[en] 1052
þei holden. ¶ For whiles þat þei halden. how so eu{er}e
þat þinges ben. I shal wel fleten furþe and eschapen.
[Sidenote: But do you not see how low I am fallen?]
¶ But þou mayst wel seen how greet[e] apparailes {and}
aray þat me lakkeþ þat ben passed awey fro me. 1056
[Sidenote: _P._ I should think that I had made progress if you did
not repine so at your fate.]
¶ I haue su{m}what auau{n}ced {and} forþered þe q{uod} she. if
þat þou anoie nat or forþenke nat of al þi fortune. As
who seiþ. ¶ I haue somwhat comforted þe so þat þou
tempest nat þe þus wiþ al þi fortune. syn þou hast 1060
ȝit þi best[e] þinges.
[Sidenote: It grieves me to hear you complain while you possess so
many comforts.]
¶ But I may nat suffre þin
delices. þat pleinst so wepyng. {and} anguissous for þat
oþer lakkeþ somwhat to þi welefulnesse.
[Sidenote: Every one, however happy, has something to complain
of.]
¶ For what
man is so sad or of so p{er}fit welefulnesse. þat he ne 1064
stryueþ or pleyneþ on some half aȝeine þe qualitee of
his estat.
[Sidenote: The condition of human enjoyment is anxious; for either
it comes not all at once, or makes no long stay when it does
come.]
¶ For whi ful anguissous þing is þe condiciou{n}
of mans goodes. ¶ For eyþer it comeþ al to
gidre to a wyȝt. or ellys it lasteþ not p{er}petuely. 1068
[Linenotes:
1044 _art þou þouȝ_--arthow yif
1045 _But ȝitte_--for yit
_dwellyng_--dwellyd
_wardes_--ward
1046 _þat_--than
_derworþe_--dereworthe
_þen þine_--than thin
1047 _ȝitte_--yit
1049 _haþ_--MS. haþe
_þin_--thyne
1050 _cliue fast[e]_--cleuen faste
_wole suffre_--wolen suffren
1052 _fallen_--faylen
_fast[e] mot[en]_--faste moten
1053 _holden_--halden
1054 _furþe_--forth
1055 _mayst_--mayste
_greet[e]_--grete
1058 _forþenke_--forthinke
1061 _best[e]_--beste
_suffre þin_--suffren thi
1063 _oþer_--ther
1064 _perfit_--parfyt
1065 _or_--and
_some half aȝeine_--som halue ayen
1067 _mans_--mannes
_comeþ al_--comth nat al
1068 _lasteþ_--last
_perpetuely_--p{er}petuel]
[Headnote:
HAPPINESS ARISES FROM CONTENTMENT.]
[Sidenote: One man is very wealthy, but his birth is obscure.]
¶ For som man haþ grete rycchesse. but he is asshamed
of hys vngentil lynage.
[Sidenote: Another is conspicuous for nobility of descent, but is
surrounded by indigence.]
{and} som man is renomed
of noblesse of kynrede. but he is enclosed in so
grete angre for nede of þinges. þat hym were leuer þat 1072
he were vnknowe.
[Sidenote: A third is blest with both advantages, but is
unmarried.]
and som ma{n} habundeþ boþe i{n}
rychesse {and} noblesse. but ȝit he bywaileþ hys chast[e]
lijf. for he haþ no wijf. [[pg 42]]
[Sidenote: This man is happy in a wife, but is childless, while
that other man has the joy of children, but is mortified by their
evil ways.]
¶ and som man is wel {and}
selily maried but he haþ no children. {and} norissheþ his 1076
ricchesse to þe heires of straunge folk. ¶ And som
man is gladded wiþ children. but he wepiþ ful sory for
þe trespas of his son or of his douȝtir.
[Sidenote: Thus we see that no man can agree easily with the state
of his fortune.]
¶ and for þis
þer accordeþ no wyȝt lyȝtly to þe condic{i}ou{n} of his fortune. 1080
for alwey to euery man þere is i{n} mest somwhat
þat vnassaieþ he ne wot not or ellys he drediþ þat he
haþ assaied.
[Sidenote: The senses of the happy are refined and delicate, and
they are impatient if anything is untoward.]
¶ {And} adde þis also þat euery weleful
man haþ a wel delicat felyng. ¶ So þat but yif alle 1084
þinges fallen at hys owen wille for he inpacient or is
nat vsed to han none aduersitee. an-oone he is þrowe
adoũne for euery lytel þing.
[Sidenote: The happiness of the most fortunate depends on
trifles.]
¶ And ful lytel þinges
ben þo þat wiþdrawen þe so{m}me or þe p{er}fecc{i}ou{n} of 1088
blisfulnesse fro hem þat ben most fortunat.
[Sidenote: How many would think themselves in heaven if they had
only a part of the remnant of thy fortune!]
¶ How
many men trowest þou wolde demen hem self to ben
almost in heuene yif þei myȝten atteyne to þe leest[e]
p{ar}tie of þe remenaunt of þi fortune. ¶ Þis same place 1092
þat þou clepist exil is contre to hem þat enhabiten
here.
[Sidenote: Thy miseries proceed from the thought that thou art
miserable.]
{and} forþi. Noþing wrecched. but whan þou
wenest it
[Sidenote: Every lot may be happy to the man who bears his
condition with equanimity and courage.]
¶ As who seiþ. þouȝ þi self ne no wyȝt
ellys nys no wrecche but whan he weneþ hym self a 1096
wrecche by reputac{i}ou{n} of his corage.
[Linenotes:
1069 _rycchesse_--Rychesses
1070 _renomed_--renowned
1072 _angre for_--Angwysshe of
_leuer_--leu{er}e
1074 _chast[e]_--caste
1075, 1076 _haþ_--MS. haþe
1076 _maried_--ymaryed
_his_--hise
1077 _ricchesse_--Rychesses
_heires_--eyres
_folk_--foolkys
1080 _þer_--þ{er} ne
1081 _mest_--omitted
1082 _vnassaieþ_--vnassaied
_wot_--MS. wote, C. wot
1083, 1084 _haþ_--MS. haþe
1084 _wel_--ful
1085 _fallen_--byfalle
_wille_--wyl
1086 _none_--non
_an-oone_--Anon
_þrowe_--throwen
1087 _adoũne_--adou{n}
1090 _wolde_--wolden
1095 _it_--hyt
_who_--ho
1096 _no_--a]
[Headnote:
THE SOURCE OF TRUE HAPPINESS.]